Cowboys-Panthers: A must-win game for both teams

For all you fans who think Monday night’s game isn’t a must-win affair for the Cowboys, consider these comments from Tony Romo:

“Obviously, with the situation (the Panthers) are in and we’re in, we both need this game very badly,” Romo said today in a conference call with the Carolina media. “You’re going to find two teams fighting and giving it everything they’ve got this week. It’s a situation that you have to go out and have to perform. It’s one of those games that’s very important to both franchises.”

Nothing needs to be said about why it’s important to 0-2 Carolina. At 1-1, the Cowboys’ situation needs some explaining. While a 1-2 record might not seem like the end of the world to some folks, a closer look at how tough Dallas’ schedule becomes in late October shows that it can ill afford to lose any of the next three games (Carolina, at Denver, at Kansas City).

Plus, you have to consider that the Cowboys have lost four of their last six games dating back to last season. Two of those games were to division rivals and both of them were body blows (the 44-6 disaster in Philadelphia at the end of last season and Sunday night’s gut-wrenching 33-31 loss to the Giants). A loss at home to a winless Carolina team would shatter the Cowboys confidence and send them into a downward spiral.